


step one you say we need to talk

by suzukiblu



Series: Avamorphs [8]
Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Andalites, Arguing, Consensual Mind Control, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen, Yeerks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:21:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24759994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suzukiblu/pseuds/suzukiblu
Summary: It’s gross enough seeing a friend turn into a slug when said slug’snotan evil alien brainslug.
Relationships: The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Avamorphs [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1581343
Comments: 48
Kudos: 311





	step one you say we need to talk

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kaos_sparrow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaos_sparrow/gifts).



> Written for kaos_sparrow, who wanted more of this AU. I figured an alternate/continued POV on this scene was the way to go.

Zuko shrinks back into a Yeerk and sinks into the pool, and Lee watches him the whole time. Aang tries not to watch, himself. It’s gross enough seeing a friend turn into a slug when said slug’s _not_ an evil alien brainslug. 

Not that Zuko is evil, apparently. 

And not that Lee’s actually their friend. 

That’s . . . it feels like a lie to think it, that Lee’s not their friend, but apparently they’ve never even _met_ Lee. It’s been Zuko all this time, since before they even knew about the Yeerk invasion or Andalites or any of it at all. They’ve been friends with a liar from the first moment. 

They weren’t really friends before the construction site, admittedly, but they _knew_ each other. They’d seen each other around, they’d talked a bit. Katara’d shown him around after he transferred, and Sokka did an econ project with him once, and . . . and he’d been _normal_. Just like any one of them. 

Aang knew a Yeerk could pretend to be whoever they wanted, could fit in flawlessly anywhere they pleased, but . . . 

Now he _knows_ it, he guesses. Grandpa Gyatso, he’d been acting different for months, and Vice Principal Choi could barely get through a class period without saying something Yeerk-ish, but Lee was just . . . he’d just been _normal_. Nothing about him had set off any warning bells at all. 

He’d been in the Sharing the whole time, and they hadn’t suspected a thing. Not for a moment, not all these weeks and weeks that they've been in each others' pockets fighting the Yeerks. 

So they’re really stupid, probably, but also Zuko’s really good at acting human. 

He seems to be, anyway. 

“Lee,” Katara says. Lee ignores her and leans over the pool, looking down into it. “ _Lee._ If he has something on you . . .”

“You are _such_ a sucker,” Lee says, and Katara bristles. He isn’t, actually, very much like Zuko. Or at least, Aang’s getting the impression he’s not. He’s never seen the other’s expression so flat. 

“So you really are voluntary,” he says, glancing between them. Katara clenches her fists. Lee just looks annoyed. 

“Was I too subtle when I was trying to rip Lu Ten’s arm off?” he asks dubiously. 

“That was you?” Aang blinks. 

“Yeah,” Lee says. “I had a concussion. Zuko was trying not to touch it.” 

“Why not?” Aang asks. Lee gives him a look like he thinks he’s an idiot. 

“Because he didn’t want to _hurt_ me, Aang,” he says. “Why the hell else?” 

“Oh.” Aang winces. He’s a little embarrassed that the possibility didn’t even occur to him, but at the same time . . . Zuko’s a _Yeerk_. Even if he’s different from other Yeerks, is he really different enough that he’d think like that? 

Maybe he is, Aang thinks, and doesn’t know what to do with the thought. 

He wonders if any of the Yeerks in the Jacuzzi were . . . 

< Yeah, speaking of injuries, pretty sure you’re still bleeding, man, > Sokka says pointedly. Lee rolls his eyes and turns back to the pool, dropping a hand into the water. It’s a little hard to see through the sludge, but it looks like he’s . . . touching Zuko? 

Oh. No. He’s petting him. 

Aang _really_ doesn’t know what to do with _that_. 

“I don’t care,” Lee says. “I’m not morphing until he’s back in our head.” 

“‘Our’?” Suki echoes. Lee rolls his eyes again. 

“Well it’s not just _mine_ ,” he says. “Obviously.” 

“Lee, he’s taking _advantage_ of you,” Katara says tightly. “Can’t you see that?” 

“No.” Lee pets Zuko again, and then Zuko swims away. “We take care of each other.” 

“He’s a Yeerk!” Katara says, clenching her fists again. “They don’t take care of anything except themselves!” 

“Yeah,” Lee says. “I’m his body. So he takes care of me.” 

“You’re _impossible_ ,” Katara says. 

“I mean, it’s _sort_ of logical,” Toph says. “I guess. Still sounds like a living nightmare to me, though.” 

< It is, > Lu Ten says darkly. < Existing as a host is nothing but torment. >

“ _Existing_ was ‘torment’,” Lee snorts. He doesn’t take his hand out of the pool. “Zuko’s the only reason it’s not.” 

“You said Zhao recruited you,” Suki says. "You really trust any of them, after hearing all his lies and propaganda?" 

"You think Yeerk propaganda got me, but none of you are worried about Andalite propaganda getting _you_?" Lee asks derisively, and Aang . . . blinks. "They're not all like Zhao or Ozai Three. Hell, most of them are still trapped on their homeworld while the Andalites occupy it." 

"While they what?" Aang says blankly. 

< Of course they are! Yeerks cannot be trusted to run amok in the universe! > Lu Ten says. Aang stares at him. 

"Lu Ten," he says carefully. "Andalites are occupying the Yeerk home planet?" 

< Yes, > Lu Ten says. < Someone must make sure that no more of them escape. >

"Escape?" Toph says doubtfully. "As in escape _you_?" 

< Wh—it is not like that! > Lu Ten says, giving them a disbelieving look. < They are conquerers! _Monsters!_ >

"Prisoners," Lee shoots back spitefully. "Because Andalites think they know better, like always." 

< They would subjugate the universe! They would destroy this world and a thousand others! >

"They want to _live_!" 

< And they will enslave as many people as they can in the process! >

"Stop fighting," Aang says, feeling sick. 

< Prince Aang, he— >

"He's—" 

"Just stop!" Aang says, covering his ears and not feeling very much like a "prince" at all, and definitely no kind of leader. "Both of you!" 

"Aang . . ." Katara says, reaching out to lay a hand on his shoulder. It doesn't help. He still feels sick. He'll never know if any of the Yeerks in the Jacuzzi were like Zuko. He'll never forget watching them _boil_. 

Even if they weren’t like Zuko, they were still people. 

Everyone they’ve killed was still a person. They _had_ to kill most of them, the Yeerks didn’t give them a choice, but . . . 

"Are you okay?" Suki says. Aang shakes his head. 

“This is awful,” he says. “I hate this.” 

“It’s alright, Aang,” Katara says softly. “We’re doing the right thing. We’re doing what we _have_ to do.” 

“I didn’t have to turn on the Jacuzzi,” Aang says. 

“Yes you did!” she protests. “They were going to infest people!” 

“They _were_ people,” Lee says. 

“That’s enough out of you!” Katara snaps at him, and he snorts at her. 

“Just because you don’t like what I’m saying doesn’t mean I’m going to shut up,” he says. 

“You’re just trying to upset everyone!” Katara says accusingly, glaring darkly at him. Her hand is still on Aang’s shoulder, and still isn’t helping. 

“Oh, so now it _is_ upsetting to kill them?” 

“Don’t twist my words!” 

“I said stop _fighting_!” Aang yells as loud as he can, stamping a foot against the floor. 

“Aang—” 

“I mean it!” Aang says. “We’re not— _enemies_. And if we keep acting like we are, someone’s gonna get killed.” 

“Just now?” Lee snipes. Katara glares at him again. Aang just shakes his head. 

“I mean, we sort of are enemies, Twinkletoes,” Toph says. “We’re not on the same side, anyway. You know, the bond of hating Zhao aside and all.” 

“Yeah, well . . . Ozai Three would kill all of us just the same,” Aang says. He still doesn’t know what to do about Zuko. They can’t just let him go, but if they _don’t_ let him go . . . 

Well. He’ll starve to death, and then they’ll have to kill Lee too. 

But if they _do_ let him go . . . 

Aang doesn’t even know what would happen if they actually let him go. It wouldn’t be safe, he knows that, but what else can they do? It’s that or kill them. They don’t have another choice. 

He guesses they could trap Zuko in morph, so that’s . . . _kind_ of another choice, maybe. They could keep him prisoner then. It doesn’t really feel like an actual solution, though, and what, they’d just keep him forever? How? _Where?_

< Ozai Three would not kill us, > Lu Ten says. < We would not be allowed that mercy. >

“I dunno, he really likes being special,” Lee says. “A bunch of other morphers in the ranks doesn’t sound like his thing.” 

“I love how the closest thing Yeerks have to mercy is killing you out of jealousy,” Toph snorts. “Very cool, that.” 

< Well, some of us wouldn’t be very useful to them, > Sokka says with a canine shrug, and Aang thinks—right. Right. Sokka can’t morph anymore. They’d kill him no matter what. < Really not the point of our current situation, though. I don’t think Zuko wants to die any more than we want to be hosts. And Lee likes the Yeerk he _has_ , he doesn’t want to end up with a _Zhao_ in his head. >

“That’s right,” Lee agrees, lifting his chin. “Zuko’s mine. I don’t want anyone else.” 

< Like I said, > Sokka says. < So, well . . . the enemy of my enemy is my mutually assured destruction, I guess? >

"Whatever," Lee says, then turns back towards the pool and dunks his head in it. Aang startles, and Katara makes an aborted gesture towards him, but doesn't actually step forward. Lee keeps his head under the water for just a second, then straightens back up and rakes his wet hair out of his eyes. 

" _That's_ better," he says, and then the distant and irritated look on his face clears away and he looks like . . . like _himself_ again. 

Except actually, of course, what he looks like is Zuko. 

"You upset my host," Zuko says, looking over at them. 

"Stop calling him that!" Katara says angrily. 

"We were . . . arguing," Aang says. 

"I know," Zuko says, and—right, obviously, of course he does. He can read it all out of Lee's mind faster than any of them could explain it. 

Aang just has no idea what to do at all. 

"Um," he says. "Are you . . . okay? Now?" 

"I've fed sufficiently," Zuko says, then scowls and touches Lee’s side where Lu Ten stabbed him. “He didn’t morph.” 

“We were arguing,” Aang repeats lamely. Zuko glowers at him, then starts shrinking into a cat. Everyone watches quietly. He’s slow, like always. Aang wonders if that’s because he’s a Controller. Maybe it’s harder to morph when you’re two people; it’s got to be harder to concentrate, right? 

Zuko crawls out of Lee’s clothes as a cat, shakes himself once, and starts to demorph immediately. Everyone stays quiet and waits for him to finish and redress. Aang’s not sure why the others are quiet, but he doesn’t want to start another fight. 

Zuko straightens Lee’s clothes, then pulls out Lee's phone and checks the time. 

"We need to leave,” he says. “Jee Five Three Three will be back soon." 

"Right," Aang says. "Sokka, make sure we didn't forget anything upstairs. Lu Ten—" 

< Yes, Prince Aang, > Lu Ten mutters, already morphing human again as Sokka trots up the steps. Zuko scoops up his discarded clothing from before and Aang looks around the basement, looking for anything they might've disturbed or dropped. They don't want Jee noticing anything weird. 

"How are you going to explain not going to the pool tonight?" he asks. Zuko shrugs. 

"I'll say I thought I was being followed and didn't want to lead anyone there," he says. "Could've been an Andalite bandit, after all." 

"Will that work?" Suki asks. 

"I don't know," Zuko says with another shrug. "It should. We're under strict orders to keep all entrances to the pool protected.” 

"Okay," Aang says, because that’s probably the best they’re going to get. "Let's get out of here, then. We can head back to the barn." 

"This is the worst," Katara says as they head for the stairs. “Aang, this isn’t _safe_.” 

“I know,” he says. “I know, but . . .” 

But he’s already killed a lot of people today. 

< Having a Controller around could be pretty useful, > Sokka says from the top of the stairs. < Like, I cannot even _begin_ to explain how useful. >

“I’m not going to betray my people for you,” Zuko says darkly. 

< Even if it’d mean we didn’t have to kill as many of them? >

“That’s not . . .” 

< I mean, it could be. > Sokka cocks his head. < If we head off a plan before all the Controllers showed up to enact it, that’d be a pretty good start. >

“We should kill them _all_ ,” Katara spits, gripping the railing tightly. 

“That is the only way. Aaay,” Lu Ten agrees coldly, and Aang grimaces. He understands why they’re upset, understands why they feel the way they feel, but . . . 

But they really have killed a lot of people today. 

“There’s a lot of them,” he says as they reach the top of the stairs and head towards the back door, hoping no nosy neighbors are watching the yard. Suki pushes open the door, pushing her other hand into Sokka’s ruff, and they all slip out onto the patio. 

“When my people arrive, that will no longer be a concern,” Lu Ten says. “Cern. Concernnn.” 

“Mm,” Aang says, because he’s not sure that the Andalites are going to fix everything anymore. He glances at Zuko again, who’s just walking in the middle of the knot of them with his folded clothes in hand. He doesn’t know if the others surrounded him on purpose, but . . . well, probably Lu Ten and Katara did, at least. “You said you’re not the only Yeerk like you.” 

“I’m not,” Zuko confirms. 

“But you couldn’t tell us anyone who was,” Aang says. 

“You wouldn’t know who I was talking about even if I did,” Zuko says in exasperation, which is a fair point. He could make up anyone he liked and they wouldn’t know better. But . . . 

“Still,” Aang says, glancing around the yard as they leave it and _really_ hoping no one’s watching. “There’s really Yeerks who don’t hurt their hosts?” 

“Plenty,” Zuko says. “There’s no point in hurting a voluntary host, anyway. Voluntary hosts are useful.” 

“So tell us about them,” Katara says icily. “Any of them. If there’s so many Yeerks like you, tell us about at least _one_.” 

“Katara . . .” Aang starts, and Zuko’s mouth thins. Well—Lee’s mouth thins, but it’s probably Zuko doing it. He thinks. 

“Mai Six Two Four,” Zuko says stiffly. 

“What?” Aang looks around again automatically as his heart rate kicks up, afraid another Controller’s just stepped out of the dark, but doesn’t see anyone. 

“Mai Six Two Four doesn’t hurt her host,” Zuko says, and Aang sags in relief. Oh. Okay. 

“Who’s Mai Six Two Four?” Suki asks. 

“My former partner,” Zuko says. “We were in the Hork-Bajir shock troops together. She didn’t hurt her host.” 

“How do you know that?” Aang asks. 

“Because our hosts talked when we weren’t in them,” Zuko says. “They were a mated pair, and they agreed to be voluntary hosts as long as they could stay together.” 

“Is that, uh . . . is that what Lee and Ty Lee did?” Suki asks hesitantly. 

“No.” Zuko shakes his head. “But it was convenient to keep them together. They make good recruiters for the Sharing and the Empire. And they work well together. They’re very good at human violence.” 

“You’re making it sound really creepy, Slimer,” Toph says, making a face. 

“You _recruit_ people,” Katara says. Zuko frowns at her. 

“Of course we do,” he says. “Voluntary hosts don’t come from nowhere.” 

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Katara says. Aang grimaces again. 

< Uh, > Sokka says. < So Azula . . . >

“What about her?” Zuko asks. 

< Well, we asked you about Yeerks who don’t hurt their hosts and she didn’t come up, > Sokka says. < So that, pretty much. >

Zuko stiffens, wrapping his arms tighter around his bundle of clothes. Aang feels a vague sense of dread. 

“You said Ty Lee was voluntary,” Suki says. “But you didn’t say Azula doesn’t hurt her hosts.” 

“Azula Eight Nine Five is my superior officer,” Zuko says. “I can’t tell her how to treat her host.” 

“And Lee’s fine with that?” Katara demands. “That’s _fine_ to him?!” 

“Ty Lee just doesn’t like hurting people,” Zuko says— _Lee_ says, very obviously. “She’ll get used to it and then Azula’ll stop.” 

“But _you’re_ okay with hurting people,” Katara says. 

“Yeah,” Lee says. “Obviously.” 

“How long have you been hosts?” Suki asks. Lee shrugs. 

“I dunno,” he says. “Few months? Not as long as we’ve been dating.” 

“So Azula’s been hurting her for that long,” Suki says, and Lee scowls at her. 

“She’s _fine_ ,” he says. 

< Lee, dude, that does _not_ sound fine, > Sokka says. < That sounds like your girlfriend got the short end of the brainslug stick and you don’t care. >

“Well we can’t exactly _switch_ ,” Lee snaps, glaring down at him. “Unless you want Azula to know exactly what’s going on here, anyway.” 

“He is a Yeerk sympathizer. Zer,” Lu Ten says. “Of course he does not care. Care.” 

“She’s _safe_!” Lee says. “Azula Eight Nine Five is one of the highest-ranking Yeerks on the planet. No one’s going to hurt Ty Lee while she’s in her.” 

< Except, apparently, for her, > Sokka says. < So basically the opposite of your situation with Zuko and your dad. >

“It’s not like that!” Lee snarls, trying to kick him. Sokka jerks out of the way, but only just in time. 

“It’s definitely like that,” Katara says, getting between them and shoving Lee back before he can try again. “But you don’t care, because you like _your_ Yeerk!” 

“I said it’s not _like_ that!” Lee says angrily, baring his teeth at her and shifting into an aggressive stance that makes the rest of the group tense up. Aang tenses too, internally about to panic. This isn’t a good time for a fight; they’re still in Lee’s neighborhood, and for all they know they’re this close to running into Jee and Lee’s dad. He doesn’t know what to _do_ , though, it’s not like— 

Lee’s aggressive posture suddenly changes, and he stills and straightens. 

“This isn’t a safe place to argue,” he says, tucking his clothes under his arm. “We may still encounter Jee Five Three Three if we aren’t careful.” 

_Zuko_ says. 

Aang doesn’t know how to feel about the fact that they were thinking the same thing. 

“Zuko’s right,” he says. “We need to get out of here. We can worry about the rest of it later, okay?” 

“He’s _horrible_ , Aang!” Katara says in frustration, and Aang doesn’t even know if she means Zuko or Lee. 

“Later,” he says tightly. “Just—come on. We have to go.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr!](http://suzukiblu.tumblr.com/)


End file.
